Mount Fanjing
Costfoto / Barcroft Media
Mount Fanjing or as it is called in Chinese, Fanjingshan is located in South West China. Rising to a height of just over 8200 feet, Mount Fanjing was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018. Besides being a natural wonder, the area includes a number of Buddhist temples as well.
Mount Fanjing is considered a holy site in Buddhism and it’s name means “Brahma’s Pure Land”. It’s peak is known as the Red Cloud Golden Summit and is topped by two temples, with a narrow gorge in between and a footbridge linking them.
Getting to Mount Fanjing is not easy. Located about 12 miles from the city of Tongren, daily buses run to the mountain and the journey takes around 90 minutes. There is limited accommodation in the area. However, its relatively isolated location means, that it is home to a great variety of plant and animal life, including the rare Guizhou Golden Monkey and the Chinese Giant Salamander. The area has over 2000 varieties of plants and trees, many of them unique to the place.
However, this isolation can also be a blessing for the modern traveler, as Mount Fanjing is not overrun by tourists. Its possible to get to the top of the mountain and many pilgrims and visitors do so. The climb is not for the faint hearted, although there are stops along the way as well as some refreshment stalls. Legend has it, that there are 8888 steps to the top, so if you can make it to the peak, the views are spectacular. Another option is to take a cable car to a nearby outcrop, known as Mushroom Peak.
Mount Fanjing is a beautiful, quiet and unique site and can make a refreshing and spiritual change after the hustle and bustle of big cities.
Clkraus / Shutterstock
Costfoto / Barcroft Media
Costfoto / Barcroft Media
Yuanyuan Yan
Clkraus / Shutterstock
Yuanyuan Yan / Getty
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- Fanjingshan (Mount Fanjing) named mountain reference, Tongren, Guizhou, China; map point is not a visitor entrance
- Coordinates
- 27.91939, 108.69214
- Access
- Mount Fanjing is entered through the scenic area’s east gate at Jiangkou or west gate at Yinjiang. The operator requires a timed real-name reservation and identity verification; bus and cableway availability depends on the selected entrance and ticket product. Confirm your gate, reservation time and current route before departure.
- Admission
- A paid scenic-area ticket and advance real-name reservation are required. The official pages reviewed do not establish one stable current total price; shuttle buses, cableway and route products may be priced separately. Check the operator’s booking page before purchase.
- Time needed
- The operator’s visitor guidance estimates about four hours for the East-route uphill walk if climbing instead of taking the cableway. That is ascent time, not a complete visit estimate; queues, altitude, weather, the summit route and descent add time.
- Best season
- The operator does not publish a single best season. Travel references commonly favor spring flowers or autumn foliage, but cloud, rain, cold, crowds and route closures can change conditions. Check the scenic-area notices and mountain weather before booking.
- Opening hours
- The Fanjingshan operator’s current homepage lists East/Jiangkou gate entry 08:00–15:00 and West/Yinjiang 08:00–13:00. The September 25–October 7 holiday notice’s earlier 06:30 schedule has expired. Official pages and dated notices can differ by season, so treat the selected-date time slot shown in the official booking system as controlling and confirm with the operator at 400-997-6999 before travel. Timed real-name reservations and the original ID used to book are required.
- Location checked
- 2026-10-15
- Facts checked
- 2026-10-29
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